Shifter's Moon
by Azrug
Summary: AU-New Moon. Edward left Bella broken, now something’s happening to her. She's changing and her life will never be the same. What happens when her world is completely flipped and she finds she's becoming a predator, only not the one she expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, due to the loss of my old files and info, I'm currently stumped in my other story (Hunter's Moon). So I decided to write this one while I figure the other out…Again. Takes place during New Moon. I've always liked the stories where Bella's a werewolf, so I decided to write my own twist. **

**_Summary: _****_AU-New Moon. Edward leaves, Bella's broken, and something's happening to her. She's changing and her life will never be the same. What happens when her world is completely flipped and she finds she's becoming a predator, only not the one she expected._**

**A few quick notes:**

**1. I will be doing this primarily in Bella's perspective, but if you want another perspective on a certain chapter or even upcoming ones, then you can request it; even then I will need a certain amount of requests to get me to do it, and some time too please.**

**2. I will not be writing from the very beginning of the book, but from a certain point where she will start to change. Although with the little excerpts I'm using you shouldn't have too much trouble following it… I hope.**

**3. In the first part of the following chapter the bold-italicized parts will be considered the actual excerpts from the books while the regular-text parts (under Add-ins) will be considered my stuff. No copyright infringement is intended (so please don't kill me, or worse, sue me. I'm just using it to show Bella's build up into her first transformation).**

**_FOR THIS CHAPTER I WILL BE QUOTING SMALL EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOKS—AND I'M NOT CLAIMING THEM AS MINE. I'M JUST USING THEM TO HELP PLAY CATCH-UP WITH THE STORY UP TO THE POINT WHERE I'M WRITING (AND ALSO TO SHOW IMPORTANT EVENTS THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT IN THE FUTURE AS WELL AS MAKING THE STORY MORE COHESIVE WITH ADD-INS)._**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer does. I just enjoy playing with her stories. HAHAHA!**

* * *

**_1. BUILDING UP_**

** "_How bad am I?"I asked_**

** "_You have a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in your skull, bruises covering  
every inch of your skin, and you've lost a lot of blood. They gave you a few transfusions. I  
didn't like it – it made you smell all wrong for a while."_**

** "_That must have been a nice change for you."_**

** "_No, I like how _you_ smell."_**

**_Excerpt from Twilight  
Pages 459-460  
_**

* * *

**  
"_Hey, I'm sorry you had to come do this, Jacob," I apologized. "At any rate, you get your  
parts, right?"_**

** "_Yeah," he muttered. He was still looking awkward… upset._**

** "_There's more?" I asked in disbelief. _**

** "_Forget it," he mumbled, "I'll get a job and save the money myself."_**

**_Excerpt from Twilight  
Page 492_**

+ + + + + + + + + + + My Add-in + + + + + + + + + + +

"…That and maybe a few more visits to the blood bank." He winced.

I had been glaring at him, but that last part caught me by surprise and my glare softened  
into curiosity, "The blood bank?"

"Yeah, I gave blood to get some extra cash for the Rabbit fund. Apparently my blood type  
is O-negative, and they are always happy to have that around…"

Jacob smirked, then started to whisper to me conspiratorially, "But don't tell my dad. I  
don't think he'd like the idea of me being so close the where Dr. Cullen works." He said,  
rolling his eyes to show how stupid he thought the whole thing was.

I couldn't help but smile at that, thankful, again, for his disbelief in the old Quileute  
legends.

I nodded my head in agreement, "Don't worry Jacob, your secret is safe with me."

He let out an animated sigh and wiped away some imaginary sweat from his forehead,  
"Good, now I won't have to kill you."

We both laughed, "Glad to hear that, I've had enough near-death experiences to last me  
a lifetime… Besides, you never know, one day your blood might save someone's life."

He shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, sure. But now that I think about it, maybe I won't give  
anymore…" he said with a disgusted look on his face, "I really hate needles."

I could understand that completely, needles make me feel sick—especially when they're in  
me.

"Now enough side-tracking. What was the rest Jacob?"

* * *

**  
"_Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A  
single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut._**

**_ It all happened very quickly then._**

** "_No!" Edward roared._**

**_ He threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake  
and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal._**

**_ Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide._**

**_ There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's  
chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face._**

**_Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 28-29_**

* * *

**_  
In a quick and supple motion, he pulled me up from the ground and into his arms._**

**_ I hung there, limp, as he loped swiftly, through the wet forest. Some part of me knew this  
should upset me—being carried away by a stranger. But there was nothing left in me to  
upset._**

**_ It didn't seem like too much time passed before there were lights and the deep babble of many  
male voices. Sam Uley slowed as he approached the commotion._**

** "_I've got her!" he called in a booming voice._**

**_ The babble ceased, and then picked up again with more intensity. A confusing swirl of faces  
moved over me. Sam's voice was the only one that made sense in the chaos, perhaps because  
my ear was against his chest._**

** "_No, I don't think she's hurt," he told someone. "She just keeps saying 'He's gone.'"_**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 76**_

* * *

**  
"_If this is how you're going to react, I'll freak out more often." Jacob's voice was light, normal  
again, and his laughter rumbled against my ear. His fingers touched my hair, soft and  
tentative._**

**_ Well, it was friendship for me._**

**_ I pulled away quickly, laughing with him, but determined to put things back in perspective at once._**

** "_It's hard to believe I'm two years _older _than you," I said, emphasizing the world _older_. "You  
make me feel like a dwarf." Standing this close to him, I really had to crane my neck to see his  
face._**

** "_You're forgetting I'm in my forties, of course."_**

** "_Oh, that's right."_**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 179**_

+ + + + + + + + + + + My Add-in + + + + + + + + + + +

Seeing the look of annoyance on my face, he quickly added, "Though, in your defense, you  
_have_ gotten taller since prom."

I scoffed and playfully punched his shoulder, "Really Jacob, you don't have to try and repair  
my damaged ego, I know I'm short."

Jacob looked incredulous for a moment and sniffed, "I'm serious. It's not like you've turned  
into a giant or anything, but you're definitely taller… I'd say," He looked at me appraisingly  
—which made me feel immediately self-conscious, "At least an inch and a half, give or take."

Still skeptical, and looking to disprove his claims, I immediately turned and stepped toward  
the driver's side-view mirror. I studied myself critically, probably for the first time since…

Instinctively, my hand jerked towards the hole in my chest as the memories of _him_  
threatened to surface, but I quickly pushed those thoughts away and recovered, hopefully  
before Jacob could notice.

Now that I was actually looking, I did seem taller, and thinner too—which could probably be  
contributed to the zombie-like state I'd been in for the last several months—though,  
thankfully, I wasn't anorexic/bulimic thin.

Thinking back, I fleetingly remembered re-adjusting the mirrors on my truck several times,  
but hadn't thought anything of it.

And now, looking down at my clothes, I noticed the _nearly_ subtle lack of length and  
wondered why I'd never noticed it before. I realized then that I'd been just as oblivious to  
the state of my body as I'd been to everything else.

"Wow, when did that happen?" I mumbled, though loud enough for Jacob to overhear me.

"You mean you really hadn't noticed? Geez Bells, how've you been getting yourself ready in  
the mornings, aren't there any mirrors in your house?"

I tried to think of a clever comeback, but ended up turning around and just sticking my  
tongue out at him, which made him double over laughing while I pouted and crossed my arms.

Still laughing, he reached over and patted me on the head. "Hey don't feel bad, you're still like  
a little doll," he teased. "A porcelain doll."

I rolled my eyes and tried, but failed, to suppress the smile that was spreading across my face  
as I took another step away. "Let's not start with the albino cracks now."

* * *

**  
"_I would invite myself in, since we're early," he said as we pulled up next to my truck. "But I think  
you might be right about the fever. I'm starting to feel a little… strange."_**

** "_Oh no, not you, too! Do you want me to drive you home?"_**

** "_No." He shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together. "I don't feel sick yet. Just… wrong. If I  
have to, I'll pull over."_**

** "_Will you call me as soon as you get in?" I asked anxiously._**

** "_Sure, sure." He frowned, staring ahead into the darkness and biting his lip._**

**_ I opened my door to get out, but he grabbed my wrist lightly and held me there. I noticed again  
how hot his skin felt on mine. _**

** "_What is it, Jake?" I asked._**

** "_There's something I want to tell you, Bella… But I think it's going to sound kind of corny."_**

**_ I sighed. This would be more of the same from the theater. "Go ahead."_**

** "_It's just that, I know how you're unhappy a lot. And maybe it doesn't help anything, but I  
wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you down—I promise that you can  
always count on me. Wow, that does sound corny. But you know that, right? That I would  
never, ever hurt you?"_**

** "_Yeah Jake. I know that. And I already do count on you, probably more than you know."_**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 217-218**_

* * *

_  
** My knees buckled under me, and I fell onto my hands, sobs building in my throat.**_

**_ I knew I needed to leave, and leave now. How long would the wolves chase Laurent before they  
doubled back for me? Or would Laurent turn on them? Would he be the one that came looking?_**

**_ I couldn't move at first, though; my arms and legs were shaking, and I didn't know how to get  
back to my feet._**

**_ My mind couldn't move past the fear, the horror or the confusion. I didn't understand what I'd  
just witnessed._**

**_ A vampire should not have run from overgrown dogs like that. What good would their teeth be  
against his granite skin?_**

**_ And the wolves should have given Laurent a wide berth. Even if their extraordinary size had taught  
them to fear nothing, it still made no sense that they would pursue him. I doubted his icy marble  
skin would smell anything like food. Why would they pass up something warm-blooded and weak  
like me to chase after Laurent?_**

**_ I couldn't make it add up._**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 245**_

+ + + + + + + + + + + My Add-in + + + + + + + + + + +

And what had been even more confusing and terrifying was that there was a moment—right  
before my legs lost their ability to support me—when I'd wanted to run after Laurent and…

What did I want to run after him for? To save him? No, that thought never crossed my mind.

Was I becoming suicidal? That possibility sent a shudder through me. No, contrary to my recent  
choices in activities, I didn't want to die.

No, it was something else. Something more… savage.

It was like I wanted to chase after him and rip his throat out.

_ Rip his throat out? _Oh God, I _was_ going crazy. "You're not going crazy Bella." My sweet  
delusions assured me.

"_Says the voice in my head."_ I mentally, and weakly, snapped back—and mentally added the fact  
that I was answering said voice.

What was I thinking? I wasn't a vampire. I was barely even human right now—I was a hole in  
the ground.

Sure, when Jacob was around his light would brighten the darkness in me a little making me  
feel like I wasn't so empty. But just as the sun must set, as soon as Jacob was gone, I would  
plunge back into that deep darkness.

A cold breeze whipped through the meadow, but I didn't even shiver. I knew it was cold, but it  
just didn't seem to affect me—I was probably in shock—but it was enough to freak me out as I  
scrambled to my feet.

* * *

_  
** I felt better in the fringe of the trees, where Sam couldn't possibly be watching. As we walked, I  
struggled for the right thing to say, but nothing came. I just got more and more angry that Jacob  
had gotten sucked in… that Billy had allowed this… that Sam was able to stand there so assured  
and calm….**_

**_ Jacob suddenly picked up the pace, striding ahead of me easily with his long legs, and then  
swinging around to face me, planting himself in my path so I would have to stop too._**

**_ I was distracted by the overt grace of his movement. Jacob had been nearly as klutzy as me with  
his never-ending growth spurt. When did that change?_**

**_ But Jacob didn't give me time to think about._**

** "_Let's get this over with," he said in a hard, husky voice. I waited. He knew what I wanted._**

** "_It's not what you think." His voice was abruptly weary._**

**_Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 265_**

* * *

**  
"_Then who should I blame?" I retorted. _**

**_ He halfway smiled; it was a bleak, twisting thing._**

** "_You don't want to hear that."_**

** "_The hell I don't!" I snapped. "I want to know, and I want to know _now._"_**

** "_You're wrong," he snapped back._**

** "_Don't you dare tell me I'm wrong—I'm not the one who got brainwashed! Tell me now whose fault  
this all is, if it's not your precious Sam!"_**

** "_You asked for it," he growled at me, eyes glinting hard. "If you want to blame someone, why don't  
you point your finger at those filthy, _reeking_ bloodsuckers that you love so much?"_**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 266-267**_

* * *

**  
"_Give him a chance to calm down," Edward's voice insisted._**

**_ I shook my head in confusion. "You're being ridiculous," I told them both._**

** "_Fine," Jacob answered, breathing deeply again. "I won't argue it with you. It doesn't matter  
anyway, the damage is done."_**

** "What damage?_"_**

**_ He didn't flinch as I shouted the words in his face._**

**_Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 269_**

* * *

**_  
His eyes were tortured. "I'm not good enough to be your friend anymore, or anything else. I'm not  
what I was before. I'm not good."_**

** "_What?" I stared at him, confused and appalled. "What are you _saying? _You're much better than I  
am, Jake. You are good! Who told you that you aren't? Sam? It's a vicious lie, Jacob! Don't let him  
tell you that!" I was suddenly yelling again._**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 272**_

* * *

_  
** Charlie was waiting on the porch. As I rolled to a stop, he walked out to meet me.**_

** "_Billy called. He said you got in a fight with Jake—said you were pretty upset," he explained as he  
opened my door for me._**

**_ Then he looked at my face. A kind of horrified recognition registered in his expression. I tried to feel  
my face from the inside out, to know what he was seeing. My face felt empty and cold, and I  
realized what it would remind him of._**

** "_That's not exactly how it happened," I muttered._**

**_ Charlie put his arm around me and helped me out of the car. He didn't comment on my sodden  
clothes._**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 273-274**_

+ + + + + + + + + + + My Add-in + + + + + + + + + + +

However he did flinch back where his hand met my arm. His eyes opened wider, "Bella! You're  
burning up!"

This surprised me, but didn't change the tone of my voice, "Really? I don't feel hot, I'm freezing."  
I said and a tremor passed through me as if to my body wanted to prove it true.

"I guess I shouldn't have stood out in the rain for so long."

This spurred Charlie forward as he hurried us towards the house, mumbling his fears that I  
was coming down with something.

**_- - - - - - - - - - - Excerpt Insert - - - - - - - - - - -_**

** "_Then what did happen?" he asked when we were inside._ _He pulled the afghan off the back of the  
sofa as he spoke and wrapped it around my shoulders. I realized I was shivering still._**

**_ My voice was lifeless. "Sam Uley says Jacob can't be my friend anymore."_**

**_ Charlie shot me a strange look. "Who told you that?"_**

** "_Jacob," I stated, though that wasn't exactly what he'd said. It was still true._**

**_ Charlie's eyebrows pulled together. "You really think there's something wrong with the Uley kid?"_**

** "_I know there is. Jacob wouldn't' tell me what, though." I could hear the water from my clothes  
dripping to the floor and splashing on the linoleum. "I'm going to go change."_**

**_ Charlie was lost in thought. "Okay," he said absently._**

_** Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 274  
**_

+ + + + + + + + + + + Add-in Continued + + + + + + + + + + +

I decided to take a shower because I was so dirty from the little walk through the woods  
earlier. Also, I hoped that the water would warm me up since I felt so cold—strangely, the  
cold didn't seem to originate from the water that weighed my clothes down.

I felt a cold hollowness inside me, as if a freezing wind was blowing through my hole-riddled  
body, icing over everything it touched. I couldn't even feel the chill from the water to begin  
with… My body was probably still in a state of shock from the events of the last week. I hadn't  
felt _any_ of the usual cold weather that forks was famous for this time of year.

The hot water didn't help the temperature of my skin; I'd even turned off the cold water in  
hopes of some sort of reprieve from the bone chill I felt. I felt… wrong. Either way, it had no  
effect and I was still freezing—yet not freezing—as I shut the water off and got out of the  
shower. Maybe I really was coming down with something… ugh.

I looked in the mirror, trying to see if I looked as bad as I felt. My eyes widened as a gasp  
escaped my lips. Momentarily forgetting the worse of the cold that I felt, my eyes traveled up  
the familiar stranger looking back at me from the mirror.

I looked… different. My body looked leaner and I could actually make out the subtle lines of  
muscles beneath the surface of my pale skin. My face was slightly more angular than it had  
been before. I looked like how I'd always pictured myself ending up whenever Renee would  
start another crazy diet and exercise programs—before she would lose interest and start her  
next scheme—and not gaining any of the benefits of our labors. I looked almost like I could  
pass for beautiful... maybe. On top of all that, I had grown at least another inch; I guessed  
that I was somewhere around 5' 7" now.

How the hell hadn't I noticed any of the changes that were so obviously noticeable? I knew the  
answer even though it stunned me to realize it. I just hadn't taken the time to look. I had been  
so wrapped up in hanging out with Jacob and finding my next adrenaline-induced hallucination  
that the rest of the time had become a blur—thinking back on all the other things I'd missed  
over the last several months, I guess I should've started getting over the obvious loss of all  
my observational skills. I sighed, well on the bright side, at least all of that hiking with Jacob  
had given me some sort of pay off.

Thinking of Jacob in the past tense made the raw edges of the new hole in my chest ache and  
throb, and I winced; my hands clenching the sides of the sink as I comforted myself _again _with  
the fact that it wasn't as bad as losing… _Him_. Now both holes were hurting, but I could barely  
feel the Jacob hole anymore.

I resisted the urge to roll up in a ball and slowly regained some form of composure. I  
straightened up and exited the bathroom.

In the sudden quiet, I could hear Charlie talking to someone downstairs.

* * *

**_  
I'd cried myself to sleep over this boy. His harsh rejection had punched a painful new hole in what  
was left of my chest. He'd left a new nightmare behind him, like an infection in a sore—the insult  
after the injury. And now he was here in my room, smirking at me as if none of that had passed.  
Worse than that, even though his arrival had been noisy and awkward, it reminded me of when  
Edward used to sneak in through my window at night, and the reminder picked viciously at the  
unhealed wounds._**

**_ All of this, coupled with the fact that I was dog-tired, did not put me in a friendly mood._**

** "_Get out!" I hissed, putting as much venom into the whisper as I could._**

**_ He blinked, his face going blank with surprise._**

** "_No," he protested. "I came to apologize."_**

** "_I don't _accept!_"_**

**_ I tried to shove him back out the window—after all, if this was a dream, it wouldn't really hurt him._**

**_Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 280-281_**

+ + + + + + + + + + + My Add-in + + + + + + + + + + +

The next thing I knew, I felt a sudden burst of energy that had Jacob staggering back and  
nearly falling out the window. Surprise was written all over his face as he grabbed a hold of  
the window frame and righted himself, pushing against my outstretched arms.

The burst of sudden energy in me faded and I dropped my hands quickly and took a few steps  
away from him. I hadn't realized it but he wasn't wearing a shirt, though the air blowing  
around outside had to have been cold enough to make him shiver.

I sleepily wondered why it didn't affect me at all; I barely felt it, but I _did_ notice Jacob's  
temperature. He still felt hot, like he still had a fever, but thankfully it wasn't as hot as before.

But he didn't look sick, he looked _huge_. He leaned over me, so big that he blacked out the  
window, tongue-tied by my furious reaction and I'm guessing the sudden ferocity of my  
pushing. He rubbed his bare chest absently where my hands had been.

"Geez Bells, have you been working out or something? That actually kinda hurt." I was still  
mad enough to feel some sense of accomplishment—and satisfaction—at having hurt him,  
even if it was only a little, and would have said some choice words, but then I felt so brutally  
tired that I thought I might collapse right there on the spot. I started swaying and could barely  
keep my eyes open as I felt Jacob catch my elbow, "Bella?"

I continued to sway as he steered me back to my bed and my legs finally gave out as we  
reached the edge. I landed face first onto the bed, my breath coming in and out in little gasps.  
I couldn't seem to find any strength at the moment and felt worse than when I'd first gone to  
bed.

He touched my forearm and then pulled his hand quickly back, his eyes widening in shock.  
"Damn, you're burning up! You must be coming down with something."

Great on top of everything else, dad had been right about me getting sick. With my luck it was  
probably Ebola. I let out a weak laugh, "Yeah, maybe it's the same thing _you_ got."

Immediately Jacob's face turned into back to the hard mask I'd seen earlier today.

"Not likely," he said angrily as his body trembled, making the bed vibrate. I tried to push myself  
up, but could only manage to get my arms up beside my head. I groaned.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jacob asked as he hovered over me, worry creasing his forehead.

I struggled to turn my head to look up at him—I felt so drained—the tears, not yet dried on my  
cheeks, smeared across my comforter. "Why in the world would I be okay, Jacob?"

Anguish replaced some of the bitterness in his face. "Right," he agreed, and took a deep breath.  
"Crap. Well… I—I'm so sorry, Bella." The apology was sincere, no doubt about it. I decided to  
change position so that I could see his face better. I tried to roll myself over, but wherever that  
burst of energy had come from had taken all of my strength with it. Jacob saw me struggling to  
move and must have realized what I wanted because he gently lifted me so that I was now  
laying on my side, which made seeing his face a lot easier.

"Thanks, Jake."

There was still an angry twist to his features but he allowed a small smile to escape.

**_

* * *

_**

**  
"_Do you mind if I ask you a question about that?" he asked, still sarcastic. "I've been dying to know."_**

** "_A question about what?" I asked warily._**

** "_About the vampire story I told you."_**

**_ I stared at him with guarded eyes, unable to answer. He asked his question anyway._**

** "_Did you honestly not know?" he asked me, his voice turning husky. "Was I the one who told you _**

**_ what he was?"_**

** How did he know this?_ Why did he decide to believe, why _now? _My teeth clenched together. I  
stared back at him, no intention of speaking. He could see that._**

** "_See what I mean about loyalty?" he murmured, even huskier now. "It's the same for me, only  
worse. You can't imagine how tight I'm bound…."_**

**_ I didn't like that—didn't like the way his eyes closed as if he were in pain when he spoke of being  
bound. More than dislike—I realized I _hated_ it, hated anything that caused him pain. Hated it fiercely._**

**_ Sam's face filled my mind._**

**_ For me, this was all essentially voluntary. I protected the Cullens' secret out of love; unrequited,  
but true. For Jacob, it didn't seem to be that way._**

**_ Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 286-287_**

* * * * * * * * * * * My Add-in * * * * * * * * * * *

Picturing Sam's face made something stir in me, with it came a hatred so fierce that it burned  
in my chest like a white-hot flame. At that moment I wanted nothing more than to crack Sam's  
skull open and show him his brain as I licked the blood from my teeth.

I shuddered at the viciousness the images spoke of, I was seriously losing it. I found that with  
that anger I'd gained enough strength to sit up on the bed. As I sat up I tried to calm myself  
down.

"Isn't there any way for you to get free?" I could only manage a seething whisper, as I  
touched the rough edge at the back of his shorn hair; my hands were shaking so bad that I  
made it brief.

His hands began to tremble too, but he didn't open his eyes. "No. I'm in this for life. A life  
sentence." A bleak laugh. "Longer, maybe."

"No, Jake" I moaned, my anger dissipating as the energy buzz began to wear off. "What if we  
ran away? Just you and me. What if we left home, and left Sam behind?"

"It's not something I can run away from, Bella," he whispered. "I would run with you, though,  
if I could." His shoulders were shaking now, too. He took a deep breath. "Look, I've got to leave."

I glared at him, "Why?"

He looked uncomfortable from the look I was giving him so I took a deep breath and tried to  
soften my eyes. He seemed to relax.

"For one thing, you look like you're going to pass out any second… and seem a little grouchy.  
You need your sleep—I need you firing on all pistons. You're going to figure this out, you have  
to."

"And why else?"

He frowned. "I had to sneak out—I'm not supposed to see you. They've got to be wondering  
where I am." His mouth twisted. "I suppose I should go let them know."

The anger began to build again, "You don't have to _tell_ them anything," I hissed.

Jacob sighed, "All the same, I will."

The anger that I was feeling flashed white hot again inside me. "I _hate_ them!"

* * *

_  
** There was something stuck in my throat, choking me. I tried to swallow it down, but it was lodged  
there, unmoving. I tried to spit it out.**_

** "_Werewolf," I gasped._**

**_ Yes, that was the word that I was choking on._**

**_ The whole world lurched, tilting the wrong way on its axis._**

**_ What kind of a place _was _this? Could a world really exist where ancient legends went wandering  
around the borders of tiny, insignificant towns, facing down mythical monsters? Did this mean  
every impossible fairy tale was grounded somewhere in absolute truth? Was there anything sane  
or normal at all, or was everything magic and ghost stories?_**

**_ I clutched my head my head in my hands, trying to keep it from exploding._**

**_ Excerpt from New Moon  
Pages 293-294_**

+ + + + + + + + + + + My Add-in + + + + + + + + + + +

Suddenly I felt hot. _Very hot!_ I needed air, and the air blowing through the window wasn't  
enough. Still clutching my head, I checked the clock, it was way too early; it'd only been a  
half hour since Jacob had left. Charlie wouldn't even be up for another two hours.

I slowly staggered over to the door and down the stairs as quietly as I could with my head  
feeling like it was splitting in two. All the time there was a small, dry voice in the back of my  
mind asking me what thebig deal was. Hadn't I already accepted the existence of vampires  
long ago—and without all the hysterics that time?

**_- - - - - - - - - - - Excerpt Insert - - - - - - - - - - -_**

**_ Exactly, I wanted to scream back at the voice. Wasn't one myth enough for anyone, enough for a  
lifetime?_**

**_ Besides, there'd never been one moment that I wasn't completely aware that Edward Cullen—wince  
—was above and beyond the ordinary. It wasn't such a surprise to find out what he was—because  
he so obviously was _something.**

**_ But Jacob? Jacob, who was just Jacob, and nothing more than that? Jacob, my friend? Jacob, the  
only human I'd ever been able to relate to…._**

**_ And he wasn't even human._**

**_ I fought the urge to scream again._**

**_ Excerpt from New Moon  
Page 294_**

+ + + + + + + + + + + Add-in Continued + + + + + + + + + + +

I rushed out the door, not bothering to close it behind me and ran for the woods. I was already  
about ten feet in when a sense of déjà vu had me stopping hard…

"Not this place." I spoke in a hoarse whisper. I turned slowly to be certain of where I was,  
and found that I'd been right. This was where the black hole in my chest was made. This is  
where Edward told me he didn't love me… that he was leaving forever.

Immediately I fell to my knees, cut my hand on a sharp rock, curled into the fetal position, and  
shut my eyes as tight as I could ignoring the growing stench of my blood running freely onto  
my pajama top.

The hole in my chest flared to life with all the pain I'd felt since that fateful day. My head still  
felt like a bomb had went off, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my chest. I almost  
welcomed the pain in my head. At least it was bearable.

What did all this say about me?

I knew the answer to that one. It said that there was something _deeply_ wrong with me. Why  
else would my life be filled with characters from horror movies? Why else would I care so much  
about them that it would tear big chunks right out of my chest when they went off along their  
mythical ways?

Suddenly, the flames from earlier exploded into bright life in my chest and in my head everything  
spun and shifted, something was rearranging so fast that it was almost physically painful but  
ended up feeling more like someone was pouring Novocain and acid into my body all at the  
same time. Somewhere there was the sound of something tearing.

There was no cult—another tear. There had never been a cult, never been a gang—tear. No,  
it was much worse than that. It was a _pack—_my body jerked out of the ball I'd been curled into,  
and my body was trembling violently. A pack of five mind-blowingly gigantic, multihued  
werewolves that had stalked right past me in Edward's meadow….

The screams I'd been suppressing all this time finally came out, scaring animals living in the  
trees and birds into flight. It wasn't just a scream of terror, but one of all the anguish,  
incredulity, injustice, heartbreak, anger,stress, and yes the fear, that I'd been feeling ever  
since Edward left me here to rot while he happily chased his distractions.

As I screamed I felt a ripple in the air, that reminded me of heat coming off hot asphalt, and  
suddenly there was an explosion inside of me. And I felt something soft raining down all  
around me along with the loudest animal cry I'd ever heard—as if it was being tortured slowly  
but brutally.

Finally, fear snapped me out of my pain and jumped up out of my position on the wet ground.  
I felt disoriented as I looked around for what had made that horrific, bloodcurdling sound. Only  
one thought went through my mind, _Victoria__._ She'd finally come for me and had ran across some  
poor animal that had gotten in her way.

My survival instincts kicked into full gear and I was running.

Soon after, I thought I heard someone yelling my name frantically from far away. Charlie must  
have heard me scream and woke up. But if Victoria was somewhere around here then I wasn't  
going to let Victoria find me anywhere near him. I sped up.

The extra adrenaline had my senses working in overdrive. I seemed to hear everything around  
me and I could somehow see everything as clear as day even though dawn was still several  
hours away. It also seemed to push all other thoughts out of my head, so I didn't notice at first  
that I was moving way too fast, or the fact that I wasn't running headlong into any of the trees  
that were zooming past me—or tripping over anything for the first time in my life for that matter…

And the biggest thing that I didn't notice was the fact that I seem to be running on all fours.

My mind caught up to me and I skidded along the damp forest floor, trying to stop, while a thick  
tree loomed up in front of me. My mind mentally braced itself for the impact that would surely kill  
me at the speed I was going…

It never came.

I felt _something_ else take over as my body reflexively crouched low and I felt my muscles coil  
and tighten until I felt like a too-wound spring. Suddenly the spring released and I was flying _  
_at the tree, paws first… _wait, paws...? _

I hit the tree with what had to be the equivalent to the force of a wrecking ball. Unfazed by the  
impact I easily jumped off the side of the tree, coming to an immediate halt about fifteen feet  
away from the tree—and amazingly didn't lose my balance even once.

Behind me I heard the huge tree creak and groan followed by an extremely loud cracking sound  
as gravity took it—I felt the impact as it rumbled through the ground. I looked back at the  
ancient tree, looking for signs of rot. I found none.

I was thinking clearly again, so I realized that something was definitely wrong. First off, as I'd  
noticed during my amazing leap, I had paws. I looked back down again… yep, paws.

They were huge, about the size of dinner plates and protruding from them were claws so sharp  
they made Cutco knives look dull **_(AN: FYI, Cutco claims to have the sharpest knives in the  
world, so I used it)_**. They were connected to stocky, muscular legs that were covered in  
soft-looking glossed black fur. I noticed a piece of cloth hanging from around my neck—my  
blood-stained spaghetti strap pajama top. Even as overwhelmed as I was, it was annoying me.

Panicking, I tried to take stock of any other changes. I turned my head and noticed that my legs  
weren't the only furry thing. I was covered from head to… I gulped… tail in it. There was a subtle  
pattern that almost completely blended in with the black coat.

My body was lithe and muscular and moved fluidly, no movement seemed to be without a  
purpose. I felt power coursing through every part of my transformed body, and that power  
frightened me.

I did the only rational thing… I screamed.

* * *

**  
Well, how is it so far? I'm sorry for all the excerpts but they served their purpose. I personally liked the build-up effect they added to it. Don't worry, I won't be using them anymore, but you will be seeing familiar dialogue every once in a while. So, do you think I did a good job describing her build up and transformation throughout this chapter? Since I didn't have much information on what a shape-shifter's first transformation actually feels like, I opted for the inverse of what a vampire feels. Instead of burning and pain, they feel cold and numb. Any guess to what happened to make her transform? I thought I made it pretty obvious, but hey, I may be wrong. Anyway, press the button below and review. I'm going to hold the next chapter captive until I get a few. How about 4 reviews since over 4,000 of the words are mine (almost 7,000 words in total). **

**PLEASE give me some feedback. Whether you like it, hate it, have some ideas to improve it, or even things that you'd like to see happen in future chapters….. Oh, and I'd really like readers to answer the following questions: How do you like the format? Should I keep it or just go with using the whole page. I think it makes it feel more like reading a book.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning, a longwinded A/N, but please read:**

**Wow, those reviews came really fast! Not that I'm complaining (Hmmm, next time I should ask for more reviews… might give me more time to write. Oh shoot they can read this. Haha.) Sorry if it took too long, here are my excuses: I don't have a beta so I'm doing all of my own proof-reading, and I'm a slow writer too. Also I do have a job so it's hard to find time to write sometimes. Anyway, glad you all like it so far, it makes me happy. To those of you who are reading this story and didn't review, shame on you. On a site like this, the authors ****live**** for reviews, so please be nice to us. To those who did review, you're awesome and deserve a pat on the back… and a cookie (Emmett sized laugh)! But seriously thanks, and since there are only a few for now I'll add in the bonus of writing specific thanks to you and trying to answer any questions/comments that popped up in your reviews... Here goes, I'll go in order of your reviews: **

**(If you'd rather get these by PM in the future, let me know)**

**crazyladywithashovel ****– First off, thanks for giving my first review for this story. Glad that you didn't think the excerpts were too much of a pain. Also, thanks for the answer about the format. I guess I'll keep it for now since it seems it might catch people's attention.**

**twird96**** – I feel honored to be an exception. I hope I don't disappoint.**

**LordXeenTheGreat**** and ****gimpy810**** – I decided to reply to both of you at the same time because you both hit on my major dilemma in this story. I still haven't decided on the course of action when it comes to Edward. I've actually been trying to choose between an Edward/Jacob/Other character/OC relationship, but with no luck yet… I know, let's put it to a vote. ****I'll put details in the bottom notes****.**

**skrappy1389**** – Glad that the format is fine. Also you're the first to comment on the transformation, thanks for the complement. Everyone's definitely going to be surprised when it comes to Bella (grins mischievously)… **

**Eternal Love's Eclipse ****– Don't worry, I won't really be using quotes anymore. I just used them to push the story to the point where I could write freely, and also to show the stages of her Change and other info that is essential to my tale. As for the format, I'm going to keep it for now since I'd already wrote over half this chapter before your comment and I believe in consistency, otherwise I'll throw myself off. But I honestly do appreciate the constructive criticism and hope that you'll continue reading and critiquing.**

**Ooh, and here's a hint for everyone for getting the reviews in so quickly… Try remembering what the Volturi revealed about shape-shifters in BD.**

**Okay, I'm done with my ranting. Well, here it is, Chapter 2. Thanks again to all of you who reviewed/added me to your favorites/story alerts. You're my new favorite people.**** Quick thing to note, I will be putting Bella and Jacob's internal dialogues in italics. **

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer does. I just enjoy playing with her stories. HAHA! (*cringes* please don't sue me)**

**

* * *

**

_**2. BREAKDOWN (BELLA'S POV)**_

I screamed at the top of my lungs, but all that I heard was that same piercing animal cry  
that I'd heard before. So that's where the sound had come from. It hadn't been Victoria  
coming for revenge—not yet anyway—it had been me. Somehow I found this was both  
comforting and frightening at the same time.

What had happened to me? What the hell was I? I didn't have the answers, but I did have  
a guess. And I really didn't want to think that it could be possible. Had I somehow become  
a… a _werewolf?_

I wanted to scream again but feared making anymore of that feral sound, so I stifled it.  
There was something… familiar about that sound, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it  
before.

_Okay, calm down Bella. Try to think this through… What do I know for sure? _I thought, trying to  
calm myself, and barely managing. _I'm furry. I have a… tail… I'm agile enough to have ran  
through these woods without ever even brushing against a single tree—not to mention I was  
strong enough to break that tree in half just by jumping off it. I can see in the dark…_

I looked up at the sky, the sun would be rising soon._ I was human only a while ago._ _I've been  
running for what's felt like hours and don't even feel tired—not to mention there was no full  
moon last night and definitely no moon right now, so I guess that the whole transforming-  
during-a-full-moon thing was a myth._

I was also, thankfully, in control, and didn't feel particularly hell-bent on munching on poor  
unsuspecting villagers—there _had_ been that feeling of some other presence in me before I  
rebounded off that tree. But, for the sake of my sanity and my already frayed and fragile  
nerves, I was just going to chalk it up to my heightened reflexes kicking in.

So I had some serious endurance. I'd also taken out a healthy four-story tall tree just by  
jumping off from it while going at super human speed. So, super strength… check. Speed…  
check. Some serious agility and reflexes—to my utter amazement… and a faint hint of  
pleasure—check.

I let all this newfound information slowly sink in and found that I could take it. I mean, I was  
still scared that I was going to lose control and go wolfy on some hapless hiker or hunter—  
and afraid what a hunter's gun could do to me; I'm not about to see if I'm bullet proof—but  
for the moment I was in control, and I relaxed just a little.

I took a deep breath; it was time for a plan. I'd been fairly certain that I'd heard Charlie  
yelling my name. I figured he'd find whatever was left of my pj's, and I'll bet the entire state  
of Washington had heard my wailing—both as a human and an animal. He was probably  
frantic, but something told me I'd be looking down the barrel of his gun if I went to him as I  
was now. And I wasn't sure of what would happen if I was near a human. The possibilities  
made my stomach clench in nausea, so at least my body seemed to agree with me.

I was feeling thirsty, and it was making concentrating hard. I hadn't noticed with all the  
adrenaline running through me but now that I'd calmed a bit I could feel how dry my throat  
felt. I breathed in through my nose and was again stunned. I could smell _everything_ around  
me. I could smell that a herd of deer had passed by here sometime recently. I could smell a  
bird's nest that was up in the tree above my head. I could even smell, and separate, the  
individual plants that surrounded me.

With this realization I noticed the other sense that I'd been ignoring this entire time, my  
hearing was amazing. I could hear everything for what felt like miles. There was a bug  
crawling somewhere over to my left. I turned my head curiously expecting to find it right by  
my head on a nearby tree, but it wasn't there. My nostrils flared and, catching wind of it  
somehow, I immediately moved my head towards the source. All my senses seemed to  
zoom in on a point over fifty yards away and I saw it. It was on a tree, like I'd thought. I  
had the urge to run after it, and… and what?

I shook my head roughly, banishing that train of thought as my mind reeled… again… from  
my overwhelmingly heightened senses. _I can't take much more of this. Just how much more  
am I going to find out!_ I attempted to take another deep breath, but failed and all that came  
out were shallow pants as I felt the panic spreading through me like a wild fire. I felt  
mentally worn out. _Everything_ felt so wrong that it was almost like pain.

"Focus Bella, you need to calm down." My breath caught as I heard Edward's velvety voice  
speak for the first time since this whole insane thing had started. I was so relieved to hear  
a familiar voice that I could have cried, but I didn't. There was no point in crying to a  
hallucination, even if it was the most beautiful hallucination in the world.

He chuckled in my head and continued in the same soothing voice, "Breath Bella, you still  
need the air." If it were possible to blush in my current state, I would have—even my  
hallucinations had the ability to take my breath away. I inhaled slowly, letting my mind take  
in the different scents a little at a time so I wouldn't be overwhelmed again. A low rumble,  
which could have easily been mistaken for the sound of my truck's ancient engine, started  
in my chest as my lungs filled to capacity. I realized with interest that I was purring.

_Great, now I'm purring. Add another freaky discovery to the already long list of things I can do._  
The Edward hallucination was right though, I had to get control of the fear I felt or I was  
going to drive myself up a tree, which didn't sound as bad as I'd thought it would. In fact, I  
found the idea was very appealing. "It's okay love, it's just part of the transition. Just take  
things slowly and concentrate." I wondered absently how _he _would know that, since I  
didn't, but his words were soothing. His voice calmed my nerves instantly as the purr  
became more prominent.

I waited another minute, both to make sure that I was okay and in hopes of hearing that  
exquisite voice again. I found I was calm, and that the hallucination was over—which made  
me annoyed at the calm I felt, making my purr turn into a quick, irritated growl. I decided to  
test my new senses and tried to ignore my weariness. I closed my eyes and concentrated  
on my other senses. It didn't take long to find what I was looking for. My eyes flew open as  
I ran full out towards the sound of running water.

Now that I was rational again I was able to notice and appreciate my newfound speed and  
grace. I moved fluidly through the trees, passing through gaps between them that I would  
have never believed possible. I saw every obstacle as it came and had no troubles getting  
around them. It was exhilarating! This was _way_ better than riding a motorcycle. I sniffed the  
air and, finding the scent of the water, quickened my pace.

I soon found myself at a stream where I closed my eyes—not wanting to see my reflection—  
bent my head down, and started lapping up water greedily. After I'd had my fill I felt better  
and found myself being able to think clearer. It hit me then what I should do. I needed to  
find Jacob. Something told me that he'd help me.

My tongue shot out of my mouth, on its own, to try to lick the water on my muzzle—I found  
that it only bothered me a little. There was still more where my tongue couldn't seem to  
reach, so I used my paw to wipe the excess water away from my face. When I was satisfied  
that I'd gotten it all, I lowered my paw and found that I had accidently caught my claws in  
the last remnants of the bloodied shirt around my neck—the strap broke when I lowered  
my paw.

Completely unaware, I'd ended up using the shirt to wipe away the water that clung to my  
fur. I probably would have found it comical if it wasn't for the fact that I had been wiping my  
face with dried blood—even worse, _my _blood. The smell had been with me this whole time  
so I hadn't noticed too much, but now it seemed to take up all of my sense of smell, making  
me want to gag.

The shirt was still snagged in my claws so I started up quickly from my crouch and tried to  
fling the scrap of fabric off of me until finally it came off, tearing new slashes in the already  
tattered fabric. I was about to leave it lying there when I thought better of it. I knew that I  
was currently naked and if I ended up changing back to my human self I would be walking  
around the woods in my birthday suit... not an appealing thought.

I reached my head down towards the water's edge where my poor shirt lay, and used my  
teeth to gingerly pick up the torn shirt—making sure I had none of the bloodied part. I'd  
been afraid to look at my reflection earlier so I was not prepared for what I saw looking  
back at me. I jumped back quickly from the water, breathing deeply to keep the building  
scream under wraps.

I'd thought something was weird since I'd screamed earlier. My body had looked sleeker in  
comparison to the memories of the werewolves in the meadow. I also had retractable  
claws—that's why my shirt had torn so easily, they were made for shredding, not running. I  
wasn't a werewolf at all…

I was some kind of werecat; a black mountain lion. It took seeing my reflection for every  
passed over observation to finally click into place—yes, I'm having serious denial issues. I  
hissed at the water, as if it was the stream's fault that I was this way. I wanted someone  
to blame, anything to blame, but as far as I knew there wasn't one. Suddenly the wind  
shifted in my direction and my nose flared as I took in the hundreds of smells being carried  
on the sudden gust.

Lightning fast, I spun around and dropped into a defensive crouch, a growl building in my  
throat as my shirt dropped from my mouth. It was coming from the direction I'd come from.  
Something had been following me and that made me feel edgy. It kind of smelled like… wet  
dog, only with a more woodsy smell to it. It wasn't in sight yet.

I heard something big coming towards me. At first I was worried, but then I thought about  
it… If what I smelled was a dog… then could it be Jacob? Or was it one of the others? I  
mean he was a werewolf, so maybe they all smelled like that.

I tried to relax, but it wasn't happening. So I settled for stifling the growling and staring in  
the direction of whatever it was that was coming towards me, hoping to see that  
russet-colored wolf that I believed to be Jacob Black. A few minutes later and I could make  
out what it was coming towards me.

My hopes were confirmed as I saw the russet wolf from the meadow coming towards me. It  
was fast, and didn't take long before it was standing at the end of the clearing. I didn't  
move, I was afraid of what might happen if I approached him, better to not look menacing.

I could hear a quiet, but menacing, growl emanating from his chest. He didn't look happy to  
see me, not that I blamed him—I wasn't exactly myself at the moment. Then his eyes  
looked down at the ground in front of me and suddenly his quiet growl became a terrifying  
snarl. Instinct took over again and had me reeling backwards, trying to put more space  
between me and the wolf I believed to be Jacob, as I hissed at him—which shocked me  
back to normal.

_What had set him off like that? I hadn't done anything, he just looked down and… _My eyes  
went to where he'd been looking and I saw it. It was my shirt, covered in my blood and  
torn nearly to ribbons. Realization of what this must look like dawned on me. He thought I  
was dead…even worse, he thought that the animal in front of him had killed someone he  
cared about. He was going to kill me.

"Jacob it's me, Bella!" I tried to yell, but all that came out was several cat cries that  
sounded out of proportion to my immense size. "Jake I'm the cat! It's Bella, Jake! Please  
see me…!" It was no use. I wasn't getting through to him that way. I tried to speak to him  
using my eyes, trying to get something through his anger. _Jacob, _see_ me. It's Bella, just look  
in my eyes. Jacob you're making a mistake! _Soon all that I was able to think was his name,  
repeating it over and over. I was going to die, and it was my best friend that was going to  
kill me.

* * *

_**JACOB'S POV**_

After I'd left Bella's room earlier that morning I'd had to force myself to go home. I was  
worried that she was getting sick after standing in the rain so long earlier—because of  
me—and I'd been so tempted to just perch myself outside her window on that tree, but  
had quickly dismissed it as too stalker-ish, and that wasn't me. Sure, I'd gone by her house  
several times now since becoming a werewolf—I might have peeked in more than a few  
times just to make sure she was okay. But I justified it as keeping her safe from any  
bloodsucking leeches that might get by my pack.

This time though, I'd went home and fallen asleep as soon as I'd hit the sack.

I'd been woken up by the phone ringing nearly off the hook. I let Billy pick it up since he  
insisted that I get some rest whenever I wasn't on patrol—I felt guilty about it, but I wasn't  
about argue. After the second set of rings he finally picked it up, sounding agitated, "Black  
residence…Charlie?" His voice took on an edge that I'd never heard him use with his best  
friend—again I felt the hatred I had for the Cullens flare up in me and I had to fight to stop  
myself from phasing right there on my bed. It was their entire fault that things were like  
this between my family and Bella's. I strained my ears to pick up what was being said on  
the other decided to listen in a little.

"What the hell are you calling about at this time in the morning? If it's about Sam again…"  
He was cut off by a nearly frantic Charlie, "Shut up Billy, Bella's gone! Is Jacob there? So  
help me if they've done something to her I'll…" I was on my feet already and racing for the  
phone. Billy looked stunned as I practically ripped the receiver out of his hand. "Charlie?  
What's wrong what's happened to Bella?" There was silence for a second on the other end  
of the line, "Jacob?" He sounded so surprised to hear that I was there, but his toned  
sharpened to flat out hostility, though there was something else in it too.

"I don't know what you're into now Jacob with Sam's little gang but I'm not in the mood for  
games. If you know where Bella is you'd better tell me." I was stunned into silence for a  
second. Did he _actually _believe that I would let anything ever hurt Bella? Finally I found my  
voice again and said in a severe voice, "I swear on all of my ancestors Charlie, I have no  
idea what you're talking about. What happened?"

_**CHARLIE'S POV**_

Jacob wasn't lying, although some part of me wished he was. I let out a worried lungful of  
air I hadn't noticed I'd been holding and went into sheriff mode, though it was strained with  
the fear I was feeling for my daughter's well being.

I told him how I'd woken with a start when I'd heard a blood curdling scream, followed  
shortly by some kind of animal howling out in agony, coming from outside—somewhere  
close. I'd immediately ran down the stairs, nearly stumbling down several of then, and  
grabbed my gun. The first thing I noticed was that the front door was open and my  
thoughts immediately turned to Bella.

I ran up the steps, calling her name the whole way. I was already panicked when I reached  
her door—which was also left open—and I saw that she wasn't in there. I quickly searched  
the house, hoping against hope that she just hadn't heard me but she wasn't anywhere in  
the house. I headed straight outside where I saw several of my neighbors scanning the  
tree line from their front doors. I called out to them, asking if any of them had seen her, but  
they all shook their heads no.

One of them, I'm not sure which since it was still dark and since I was nearly having a panic  
attack, ran up to me and told me that the noise had came from somewhere in the woods  
across from my house. I started heading for them, but was stopped when I felt him grab  
my shoulder so he could give me his flashlight. I thanked him and yelled for everyone to  
keep close to their houses. No one argued. My unknown neighbor offered to come with me,  
but I told him to head back to his home and he reluctantly did.

After that I headed for the area that he'd pointed to and flashed the light into the woods  
while staying just outside the tree line. At first I didn't see anything, then the light caught  
on something shining on a rock about ten feet in. I cocked my gun and cautiously treaded  
towards the rock.

Every sound had me turning towards it, but I never stopped moving. Finally, I bent down  
and got my first glimpse of the blood. My breath hitched when I noticed the scattered  
remains of familiar clothes lying around the forest floor. They were Bella's, and I was afraid  
that the blood was hers too.

I started yelling for her as loud as I could, every cry becoming more desperate. There was  
no reply except for someone yelling my name behind me. Someone had called my deputies  
to the scene, probably after hearing me yelling Bella's name.

_**JACOB'S POV**_

Throughout Charlie's recollection I'd grown increasingly pale. Only one explanation seemed  
possible, Bella was attacked by a vampire. I dropped the phone and was phasing as I leapt  
from our porch. I could hear Embry and Jared as soon as I hit the ground running.

"_Jake! What's up man, you're not up for patrol for…?_" Embry stopped as my thoughts  
registered to him. "_Bella. Bella. I've got to find her_!" I kept repeating in my head as I ran  
half-crazed through the woods towards Bella's house. I needed to find the trail.

"_Jake, calm down, what's happened?_" Jared asked as he and Embry scanned my thoughts to  
see what I was freaking out about. "Oh man, poor Charlie," said Jared while I heard Embry  
howling at the top of his lungs in the distance, calling the rest of the pack.

_Damn it Jake, why didn't you patrol around her house! If something's happened to her I… I… _I  
shook my head, trying to clear the multiple bloody Bella images out of my skull like it was  
some sort of etch-a-sketch. I didn't want to even think that she was hurt... or worse.

"_Hang tight man, the cavalry's on its way._" Embry said, trying to get me to calm down, but I  
wasn't having it.

Ever since the _Cullens _left we'd pushed our patrol boundaries out far past Forks so we  
could better protect the humans from any roaming vamps. We'd already caught that  
dark-skinned leech getting ready to snack on Bella—with my luck lately it was a probably a  
friend of hers and she'd never forgive me—and now we're having to contend with that  
redhead, who we assume was his mate.

We thought she would just come to us, seeking revenge, since that what they always did  
in all the old stories of my people. But she didn't seem interested in us. She'd already killed  
on our lands and we were out for blood now (or at least a good bonfire-ala-leech), but  
somehow she's eluded us every time now. Just thinking of the redhead had me speeding  
up my pace.

I pushed myself to my limits and was soon near the woods around Bella's place. I could  
already smell her drying blood—and it was hers, I'd know her scent anywhere. I slowed  
down, not wanting to catch anyone's attention, as I got closer to the police tape that must  
have been put up by one of the deputies. "_Jacob, I'm so sorry._" It was Sam; he'd just joined  
us along with Paul and had been brought up to speed by Jared and Embry.

I barely registered what he was saying. All I could see were the bloodstained pieces of her  
destroyed pj's that I'd seen her wearing no more than an hour ago. A whimper escaped my  
throat as I looked around for any sign of her body, a baseball sized tear rolling down my  
muzzle. "_God… what happened there?_" Paul said, sounding disgusted. I could feel the pity  
from all of them. No one seemed to think that she could still be alive… and I wasn't far  
behind.

It was too much to bear. I turned my head and caught whiff of something I'd never smelled  
before. It was mingled with the smell of Bella and her blood. It didn't burn my nose so I  
knew that it hadn't been a bloodsucker, but what was it?

"_Guys, what is that scent?_" I asked the rest of the pack, who didn't seem to recognize it  
either. It was Sam that finally answered, "_Don't know Jacob, but whatever it was, it wasn't a  
vampire._" I could feel a growl building in my chest as I thought of the _thing_ that had done  
this to Bella. I started following the trail.

"_Jacob, what are you doing?!_" Sam yelled as I ran full out, there was no way I was going to  
let _it_ get away with this. "Jake, wait for us!" It was Embry, always the wingman. I saw him  
start to leave the patrol path, but he was soon stopped by Sam, using an Alpha command,  
"No Embry, you and Jared are to keep up the patrol. We don't want to give that female any  
chances to get onto our lands." I could feel Embry and Jared's disappointment, but they  
obeyed—not that they had a choice.

I could tell that Sam was thinking about giving me an order too, and I wasn't going to give  
him the chance, "Sam, don't stop me… please." I begged him. He could feel how I was  
feeling and so didn't give me the order. "Okay Jacob, but if you find whatever did this, you'll  
wait for us unless it attacks first. Got it?" I wanted to protest—I wanted nothing more than  
to tear apart whatever had killed Bella, but I knew that if I protested then I would be  
commanded to stop. So I agreed, begrudgingly. They were going to look around in the  
other direction first, just to make sure that Bella, or the thing, weren't there.

After what felt like hours, I heard a terrifying animal cry coming from up ahead. If it hadn't  
been for my wolf hearing I probably wouldn't have heard it. It had to be quite a ways  
away. It sounded familiar, and I was sure that I should know what it was. I shrugged it off  
and continued towards Bella's killer.

I ran across a newly fallen tree—the sap was still seeping from the trunk. I noticed the claw  
marks on its side and stopped quickly to examine them. They were huge and ran deep into  
the wood. I could smell the same scent coming off of it that I'd smelled at Bella's house.  
Whatever it was, it wasn't a normal animal, that's for sure. And it was strong enough to  
snap a tree in half; I definitely needed to be careful.

I continued to follow the scent as it began to grow stronger. "_Guys, it's close. Get your buts  
over here._" I said and Sam replied, "_We're on our way Jacob. Don't forget; wait for us once  
you've found it._" I could feel all of the tension from the others. None of them thought I was  
going to be able to control myself once I caught up with the mystery creature. I didn't  
either, but I was able to block at least that much from the others as I picked up the pace.

I was getting close, and it probably wouldn't notice me so long as I kept downwind.

As if I'd triggered a switch with my thoughts, the wind shifted, carrying my scent in the  
direction of my prey. A slew of unintelligible curses escaped my wolfy mouth as I sped up  
again. There was no doubt in my mind that I'd lost the element of surprise.

I could hear a stream up ahead and as I closed in on it, the steady breathing and heartbeat  
of something big. It wasn't moving, which was weird. Most animals get wind of our kind and  
usually bolt in the other direction. I had no complaints—I'd rather get this over with quickly,  
for Charlie's sake. Sam and Paul were closing in on me too, so I only had about ten minutes.

The sun was just peaking over the horizon when I saw it. It was as big as I was, and now  
I knew from where I'd heard that cry before. I'd heard it plenty of times, ever since I was a  
little kid… the cry of a mountain lion. But it was like no mountain lion I'd ever seen. It was  
midnight black all over, and had intelligent, brown eyes. If it wasn't for the sunlight I  
probably wouldn't have even noticed it until I was right on top of it—it blended right in with  
the night.

It saw me approaching, but didn't move. It did look wary however… as it should be. Even if  
it was big enough to look menacing, I highly doubted it could take me. I could already feel  
the hate I felt for it burning through my veins. Then I noticed the piece of cloth lying at its  
feet. It was the rest of the shirt Bella had been wearing when I last saw her—it was  
covered in her blood and had slashes in it that looked to be from the mountain lion's claws.

The anger I felt exploded and all I could see was red. I didn't even register Sam's voice  
yelling at me, and I was too far gone to care. A rabid snarl escaped my maw that had the  
soon-to-be-dead lion backpedaling to the edge of the stream as a hiss forced its way  
through its sharp fangs.

It looked startled at the sound emitting from its mouth and then it's eyes traveled to Bella's  
shirt and back to me. Those intelligent eyes showed what could have easily been  
interpreted as understanding and there was fear there. It started making several meowing  
sounds as if it were trying to talk—there where other sounds too, something tickling in the  
back of my far-too-gone mind. I ignored everything but the murdering beast in front of my  
eyes. Those eyes almost looked pleadingly at me—and had me thinking of Bella's eyes.

It knew I was going to kill it and I found this deeply satisfying. I licked my lips as I lunged  
for Bella's killer and it just stood there like it was waiting… waiting for its inevitable death.

* * *

**First off, hope you enjoyed it. Originally this was two chapters, but since it took me so long to get it posted I decided that I would be nice and put it together while cutting it off for a cliffhanger (not so nice I guess hahaha). So did anyone expect that little twist? I hope not. I wanted it to be different from other stories I've read. Also, is anyone catching the multiple meanings in both chapter titles? I hope so, because I thought they were clever. And sorry for the long-windedness of the above A/N, I will try to keep them to a minimum in the future. I was just so appreciative of the reviews I got from you.**

**Now, for the voting thing mentioned in the above A/N… So far it's one vote Team Edward (LordXeen) and one vote anti-Edward (Would that be Jacob or someone else gimpy810? Everyone be specific). And I'll also add a third category, I could make an OC (if that's your vote, then specify into human, vampire, werewolf, or some other supernatural being. Again be specific. And sorry, no slash, I have no problem with it but I wouldn't be good at it). In the end there will be a love interest, I'm set on that (it may not necessarily be an imprint). And if no one's interested in voting, then I guess I'll have no choice but to pick for myself (I won't leave the story hanging) and you'll just have to live with the choice… and of course review and tell me how much you liked it or hated it haha….. And if you want your vote to be private then just PM it to me.**

**Oh, and again to those who aren't reviewing, please be nice. We authors take the time to write these fanfictions, the least you could do is write a few words. And to those who reviewed before, I really hope to see some more (I know I'm greedy, but it's nice to know you're appreciated). How about we aim for a total of fifteen (currently at six…**** and no, vote's don't count unless there's comments with it!****) reviews so I have some time to write. I know it's a lot but if you guys who reviewed last time do it again that will be an automatic twelve count… hint hint… Later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey readers, sorry for the long wait. I've been preparing to move and it's taking longer than I originally thought to pack up my stuff. This chapter was just a little rushed, so I might update it again later since I have to pack up my computer after I post this chapter. I just wanted to give you readers something to pass the time so you wouldn't think I'm holding out on you on purpose. I hope that you will find this chapter up to par with my previous ones though. I tried my best.**

**Also, I decided to start another story, one that takes place in the first book. It's called **_**Lycanthrope,**_** and you should check it out when it gets posted and let me know what you think of it. It will be posted around or before the next update for this story (this story **_**will**_** continue!). I'll put a short summary at the bottom of this chapter.**

**As always thanks for the reviews! And also thanks to those who've reviewed before for doing so again. To those that I sent PM's to, I'm sorry if they annoyed you. I'm still pretty new to this stuff and was just excited. I'll try and behave.**

**Oh yeah, just to let you know I always noticed something when it comes to imprinting in SM's books. So far all of the characters who have imprinted have done it when they were in human form, so I'm making that a rule in my story. So those of you who are voting for Jacob or any other character that she's seen, yes they still have the chance to be imprinted on by Bella since she hasn't seen anyone in her human form yet since her change. So everyone still has a chance…. With that said, this will be the last chapter for voting on Bella's relationship. After this, things are going to be picking up so I won't be able to put it off any longer. Don't forget, the votes can be for any character or an OC. Just specify the character… or in the OC's case the creature (for full info, check bottom AN in Chapter 2). Anyway, enjoy chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer does. I just enjoy playing with her stories. HAHAHA!  


* * *

**

"_Jacob it's me, Bella!" I tried to yell, but all that came out was several cat cries that__  
sounded out of proportion to my immense size. "Jake I'm the cat! It's Bella, Jake! Please__  
see me…!" It was no use. I wasn't getting through to him that way. I tried to speak to him  
using my eyes, trying to get something through his anger._ Jacob, _see_ me. It's Bella, just  
look in my eyes. Jacob you're making a mistake!_ Soon all that I was able to think was his__  
name, repeating it over and over. I was going to die, and it was my best friend that was__  
going to kill me._

_

* * *

_

_**3. POWER OF CHANGE (BELLA'S POV)**_

I started backing up as fast as I could, but was soon stopped when I felt the side of a  
huge boulder meet my back, and froze.

I stood there, paralyzed with fear, as Jacob sped towards me. He was so fast that he was  
almost a blur to my enhanced vision…almost… I could still easily make out his wolfy  
face, and I wish that I couldn't. His eyes were full of blind rage and his ears were laid  
back flat against his skull. There was saliva dripping from his exposed dagger-length teeth  
as his hot breath, easily seen in the early morning chill, left a trail behind him—like some  
kind of demonic train. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making every detail seem  
clearer.

I had a strange sense of déjà vu as another time came to mind… a happier time. I  
remembered when I'd almost been crushed by Tyler's van and how it had been like this—  
frozen with fear, noticing every detail with crystal clarity, the sense of death waiting to  
take me. But this time, there wasn't anyone that was going to save me…. I was alone.

Jacob would soon be right on top of me. I could practically feel his teeth tearing through  
me. "No Bella! Get out of there!"

Ah, my beautiful hallucinations were back, not surprising since I was staring death in the  
face. It's the least that he owed me. "You can't die! Think of Charlie, think of what it  
will do to him. And what about Jacob? What do you think _he'll_ do when he finds out  
he's the one that's killed you?"

He was right, it would probably kill Charlie, and it would definitely destroy Jacob. But  
there was nothing I could do—there was no time to move. I felt surprisingly resigned as  
faces began to swim through my mind; Charlie's, Renee's, my friends from school,  
Jacob's human face, the Cullens, and of course Edward—where it remained. _Goodbye, I  
love you. _I put all of my feelings into those four little words as I said goodbye to  
everyone whom I'd never see again, and waited for death…hoping that he'd make it  
quick.

Suddenly, I noticed something pass through Jacob's eyes and he lowered his head,  
shaking it back and forth. But he didn't lose any momentum and I doubted he was going  
to be able, or willing, to stop. Edward growled, and at the top of his imaginary lungs  
yelled, "Bella, jump!"

My body reacted immediately. I could feel every muscle in my body tense as it ducked  
quickly to the ground. Then my powerful hind muscles exploded and I found myself  
rocketing forty feet into the air. For a few seconds I was flying, and there was nothing  
but me and the open air—and it was probably the most amazing and terrifying thing I'd  
ever felt.

"_Bella?_"

I flinched in surprise. I'd become used to hearing Edward's voice in my head—and had  
even sought it out numerous times before—but I wasn't prepared for the voice I heard  
now. It wasn't the velvety musical voice of my Edward hallucination. No, this was the  
confused—and possibly shocked—voice belonging to Jacob Black. Somewhere close  
behind me, the forest exploded with sound.

I heard a crashing-_slash_-crunching noise that sounded like two vampires slamming into  
each other at full speed—and yes, I know what I'm talking about—followed by the  
sound of a mini avalanche coming from behind me. Then gravity regained its hold on me  
and I was plummeting back towards the ground.

I was yelling, or crying out, at the top of my lungs as the earth quickly came to meet me. I  
braced myself for the impact I was sure would break my legs, but then remembered my  
newfound strengths and felt confident—for once—that I would be fine. I landed easily  
and quickly turned around to see what had happened.

When Jacob was looking down, he didn't notice me jumping over him and must have run  
head-on into the huge boulder that was now not much more than a pile of rocks and  
pebbles. He was lying on his side, half buried in debris, and wasn't moving. A feeling of  
dread went through me and before I knew it I was digging him out, careful not to extend  
my claws. I finally stopped when I had most of his body, and all of his head, exposed  
and began looking him over.

He was breathing—which instantly made me feel better—but his breathing was coming  
out heavy. I'd been afraid that he was dead. I could hear his heart and it sounded  
strong—though that could have easily been my new hearing making it louder to me than  
it really was.

I nudged my head against his, causing a small whimper to come out of his mouth; there  
was a deep, cut on the top of his head where I'd touched him. His bone was visible so I  
could see that he'd cracked his skull a little. It was bleeding freely, but otherwise he  
looked to be intact. I meowed at him, trying to get a response, but it didn't. He was out  
cold.

I could feel tears coursing down the fur of my face and didn't even flinch when my  
tongue shot out of my mouth and began removing the dust and other leftover debris from  
his wound. I could taste the blood, but otherwise it didn't affect me like it did earlier—  
probably because I was so worried about Jacob… I'd wait until later to think about it and  
lose my non-existent lunch.

As I was licking I noticed that the profuse bleeding had all but ceased, and then stopped  
soon after. I pulled away and watched as first the crack in his skull mended itself,  
followed quickly by the torn flesh until all that was left of the severe-looking wound was  
a fading pink line. If I'd still had the ability to talk, I knew that I would've been struck  
speechless.

With the wound gone I was hoping, and dreading, that he was just going to jump up and  
shake it off, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen. I guessed that he was going  
to be out for a while still. I bent over and continued licking his face clean and was  
debating whether I should stay and wait to make sure he _did _wake up or whether I should  
make a run for it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to decide on either course of  
action.

I again heard something coming from direction where Jacob had came in. I could make  
out four feet, but they weren't the even striding sound that I had heard when I'd heard  
Jacob. These were uneven, and not as forthcoming in their speed, though they were still  
fast enough. I'd been so focused on Jacob's wounds that I hadn't even noticed their  
approach. But it was too late, I could already see them. It was Sam and one of his  
gang…no…pack.

They were both human, wearing nothing more than shorts. They were both looking back  
and forth between Jacob and me with a look that progressively went from shock and  
worry, to a burning hate. I was almost glad to see Sam's usual calmly superior mask crack  
as his face showed caution—and maybe fear?—mixed in it with it as well… he thought I  
was dangerous, and I got the feeling that the fear wasn't aimed at himself, but at Jacob's  
fate. They probably thought I'd killed him.

Seeing Sam brought to mind the last time I'd seen Jacob. I remembered that heated  
discussion we'd had when Jacob had tried to tell me what had happened to him. I  
remembered the intensity of the almost all-consuming hate I'd felt at Sam before. I felt  
my body shake from the thunderous growl that escaped my mouth, followed a loud hiss,  
and saw Sam take a cautious step back. But the shorter guy that was with him didn't  
seem to notice, and took a step forward, trembling in anger. Then there was a rippling  
feeling in the air and the sound of fabric tearing, and a dark silver wolf exploded from  
where the man had been. Sam soon followed suit and there was that black wolf from the  
meadow.

_Damn it, not again._ I thought as the silver wolf started towards me, slowly picking up his  
pace, readying to attack at any second. But Sam turned and barked loudly at the silver  
wolf whose legs buckled underneath him before he slowly stood back up. It looked like  
he was fighting some invisible force, fighting to come after me, but unable to succeed. He  
continued to fight while those intelligent eyes conveyed how much he wished to tear me  
to pieces.

Sam then went and started coming towards me, growling menacingly.  


* * *

_**SAM'S POV**_

After Jake had lost it, I'd ordered everyone to Phase back so that we all wouldn't be  
consumed by his rage. The weight of it had been enough to make everyone's legs give  
out. I myself was barely able to stay standing. I'd never felt anything else like it.

As soon as Paul and I had Phased back, we pulled on the shorts we carried around with  
us and bolted as fast as we could for the clearing we'd seen before Jacob's meltdown. It  
was slower going in this form, but we were built for speed and endurance and could still  
have easily outrun a fleeing deer. Our fear for our pack brother pushed us to our limits.

I was afraid for Jacob. I'd seen the beast he'd been chasing down through his own eyes.  
There was no mistaking what it was… an enormous black mountain lion, easily as big, if  
not bigger than I was. Where had it come from? What was it doing on our territory and  
how'd it get passed our perimeter in the first place? I'd caught the trail it'd left, and it  
was obvious that it wasn't a normal cat, it smelled… wrong somehow.

I didn't feel animosity towards it beyond what it had possibly done to the Swan girl—  
and a lot of that came for, and from, Jacob. He loved that girl, and I felt horrible  
forbidding him from being around her, but it was for her own protection. I've seen and  
experienced what happens to humans when we lose control. All it takes is a fraction of a  
second, and that person could be horribly scarred, like my beloved Emily, or even worse,  
they could die. I knew that if that happened to Jacob it would kill him, or if she somehow  
survived it would slowly torture him to near madness. If it wasn't for Emily's forgiving  
heart, I probably would have met that fate, but it would have hurt her far more for me to  
be gone.

Now it didn't matter. Jacob was gone after seeing her bloodied and torn shirt, and  
something inside me told me he'd never come back… or forgive me—not that I deserved  
any forgiveness.

I also feared for Charlie. I've only known him from a few encounters since I'd tracked  
Bella, lying broken in the woods. I still can't forget how she looked. If it weren't for the  
fact that she was talking—and that I could still hear her broken heart—I would have  
thought that she was dead.

She was so pale and wouldn't move, and when I'd picked her up it was like I was  
carrying a limp corpse. I was glad that the leeches were finally gone, but looking at her I  
wished that they had stayed just so I could kill them. They'd kept to the treaty and  
hadn't bitten anyone, but seeing Bella's state, I would have thought that killing her  
would have been more merciful.

I still remembered Charlie too, after the long hours of searching he'd began to resemble a  
corpse as well. His voice was hoarse from yelling out Bella's name for so long. I could tell  
that he had been fighting back tears for quite some time—and I knew that he'd let them  
flow at one point because I could smell traces of salt water on him. I'd seen the note left  
by "Bella" that he was carrying with him and that's when I'd decided to risk Phasing and  
find her, but I'd been expecting a dead body… not a dead heart that was still pumping  
blood.

Now here I was again, looking for a body that would probably never be found and  
closing in on the monster that was responsible.

Soon Paul and I heard a sharp crashing sound that I almost mistook for thunder, if it  
wasn't for the surprisingly clear sky above us. I looked at Paul and we both seemed to be  
thinking the same thing… something had happened in the clearing.  
A few minutes later Jacob's scent and that of the monstrous mountain lion became  
stronger. We were almost there.

We stepped into the clearing ready to phase and help Jacob out, and froze at what we  
saw. Jacob was lying there surrounded by rocks. He was covered in debris and the scent  
of his blood was in the air. The beast was bent over him, and I was afraid that it was  
eating him. I couldn't help the shock of it. This thing had beaten Jacob, my second in  
command, the best fighter I had, and now it was looking at me and Paul.

It seemed to be taking in the sight of us, probably measuring its chances against two  
humans. Then its eyes focused on me and I saw hatred fill them. Its ears laid back against  
its skull as it growled and hissed at me. I took a step back; the hatred it was sending my  
way was palpable despite the distance it was at in the large clearing. I felt Paul Phasing  
before I saw him.

He was shaking uncontrollably and soon I was standing next to a horse-sized werewolf. I  
knew what he was going to do, and I wasn't going to allow it after what I'd just noticed.  
I Phased immediately, and said goodbye to my new shorts, and barked at Paul, using an  
alpha command, _"__**Paul, stand down! NOW!**__"_ I felt bad when his legs buckled as he was  
crushed by the command that he so desperately wanted to ignore. I could tell he was  
fighting it, and he wasn't happy with me at all, _"What the hell Sam? It killed Jacob! I'm  
not just going to stand here while it gets away!"_

Despite Paul's brashness, harsh words, and short temper, he _did_ care about what  
happened to his pack brothers and I could feel the bleak despair he felt at not hearing  
anything coming from Jacob's mind. I stepped up next to him, trying to calm him a bit,  
"_Paul, listen closely."_ He saw where my thoughts were leading and concentrated on his  
senses… it didn't take long.

"_What the…"_ he paused and took in a steadying breath, _"He's still alive."_ I could feel  
him settle down a bit as he realized what I was planning, but I could tell he still didn't  
like it. _"Dude, you know how retarded that is? Take back your order so I can help!"_ I was  
tempted to do that, my idea was a long shot, and it could put me in the same situation  
Jacob was currently in, but I knew Paul. He wouldn't be able to think straight if he lost  
his temper again and I knew that it was still tainted by Jacob's previous rage.

Paul let out a mental snort at my assumptions, _"Thanks for the vote of confidence 'oh  
mighty and fearless leader.' I'm so glad you think of me that way."_ I sighed mentally,  
"_And thanks for proving my point Paul. Now shut up…"_ and just in case I added in the  
alpha's double timber, _"__**…and if it seems like I'll get really hurt, then jump in and save  
my butt. But, it better be an emergency.**__**Our top priority right now is Jacob.**__" _Paul gave  
me a mental salute,_ "Sir, yes sir!"_

We'd been keeping our eyes on the mountain lion, expecting it to jump on Paul while  
he'd been struggling, or even to try and flee, but it didn't move except to move slightly  
closer to Jacob, which didn't sit right with me. My first thought had been that it was  
protecting its meal, but that didn't feel right somehow. It was still staring almost  
exclusively at me… like it was protecting Jacob from _me_; as if I was a bigger threat to  
him than it was… weird, but not important.

I stepped towards it menacingly and gave an equally menacing growl. I was hoping to  
tempt it into a fight, keeping it occupied, while Paul would go around behind it and drag  
Jacob out of the area so he wouldn't get hurt when we fought full out. I knew it wasn't  
going to be easy. This thing had to be strong if it was able to knock him out with the  
force we'd heard earlier.

It didn't return my menacing snarls, but it still firmly held my gaze. I chanced a quick  
glance at Jacob again, and when I looked back the monster cat was looking at Jacob too.  
Then it did something I didn't expect, its tongue slid out and almost lovingly licked his  
head as if he were one of its young then slowly began to walk away from him. Its hard  
eyes were still following me, when suddenly they softened a bit giving the illusion that  
they were human—I'd never witnessed any animal eyes do that before—as it casually  
looked to Paul, and motioned its head towards Jacob as if encouraging him to take him  
away.

We were stunned into immobility, what the… what _was_ this thing? It was too  
intelligent—which meant that we'd already underestimated it. Paul agreed with my  
thoughts, _"Sam, I think it _wants_ me to get Jacob… do you think it's a trap?"_ I stood there  
and quickly contemplated what we'd just witnessed, and decided it didn't matter.

"_Maybe it wants you to focus all of your attention away from me and it… so that we'll be  
easier targets."_ Paul didn't like this idea, and I was quick to agree with him. I had to take  
this thing down, and fast. _"Just get Jacob out of here and get back fast."_ Paul nodded  
and took his eyes away from the cat and started cautiously towards Jacob.

I turned my attention back to the cat and was surprised at how close it'd gotten to me  
during our conversation—apparently I was its target. I snarled at it, and it stopped  
moving…. It was time to end this.

I broke out into a sprint, hoping to catch it off guard. It flinched before crouching into a  
defensive position and hissing at me. I lunged, my teeth parted as I readied for what I  
was sure would be a debilitating strike, only to close them on thin air. I skidded to a halt  
and quickly looked around where it had been crouched, only to find the clearing empty.

"_Sam! Above you!"_ Paul yelled at me as I saw through his eyes the mountain lion coming  
back down from what looked like a good fifty feet in the air. I could see the early  
morning light gleam off its extended claws as it descended towards where I was standing  
and I couldn't help admiring the beauty of it… before I realized it was about a second  
away from landing on me. I quickly jumped back, but still got caught by one of its razor  
sharp claws which left me with a cut that went from above my left eye down the side of  
my face.

I yelped in pain—it had barely grazed me but it was deep enough that blood was running  
into my eye, nearly blinding it. Already I could feel it healing, but it wouldn't be soon  
enough. I leapt again at the cat, being more wary of its movements, and was rewarded  
with it trying to sidestep away from where I'd been originally aiming. I didn't let it.

I'd been expecting this and was quick to change my course to grab it by the tail. It cried  
out in pain and tried to pull away from my grip, but to no avail. I kept behind it so that it  
couldn't get to me easily, but somehow it managed to strike me several times, though to  
my surprise it never used the claws that it seemed so ready to use before. That didn't stop  
the blows—it felt like getting hit by a speeding truck--from nearly knocking me senseless  
several times.

Paul had just got Jake passed the tree line and I could feel his mind stirring into  
awareness. His thoughts were still too jumbled for us to make out, but it still was a huge  
relief that he seemed to be coming to. I was so caught up in my relief for my fallen  
brother that I didn't notice when the monster cat reared up its back legs until it was too  
late. It kicked me so hard that I felt myself fly across the clearing until I was stopped  
abruptly by a tree, which immediately knocked the wind out of me as well as breaking the  
tree in half. Thankfully it didn't land on me.

I heard Paul, who came bursting out of the woods, yell in my still-dazed head, _"Sam, you  
okay?"_ I had to focus hard—I still hadn't caught my breath and the fog in my head  
wasn't helping—to get the message across, and even that came out like a whisper, _"I'm  
okay, just knocked the wind out of me, give me a sec."_

Through the haze I could feel another familiar presence slowly seeping into the pack  
mind, "_Jacob! It's about time dimwit!_" Paul called out, relief evident in his thoughts.  
"_Welcome back Jake._" I said weakly as I started scanning the clearing, trying to get my  
eyes to focus. Jacob had come around and was staggering back into the clearing…  
"_Unngh… Bella…?"_

Paul sounded solemn, which was rare for him, _"No Jacob, we haven't found the bod… we  
haven't found her yet."_ Jacob shook his head, looking around the clearing drunkenly, his  
thoughts were still a jumble, and there seemed to be none of the rage anywhere, just  
confusion and worry. "_No… _cat_…where's… Bella?" _He wasn't making any sense. And I  
didn't have time to worry about it. We couldn't let that _thing_ get away, _"Paul, go."_

He read the direction of my thoughts and immediately went into a crouch. Just as he was  
about to attack the mountain lion from behind—who was looking my way and looking as  
if it was shaking in fear—Jacob saw what was happening, "_NO!_"

Jacob launched himself at Paul and bit down on his hind leg just as Paul was in midair.  
Paul yelped and went down hard, and Jacob, who'd continued to hold onto his leg,  
started dragging Paul away from the mountain lion. I was too shocked to order Jacob off  
of Paul, who was now struggling and trying to attack Jacob. "Ow! Jake what the hell do  
you think you're doing!? Agh, damn it you…!"

Paul continued with a string of dog related profanities, but Jacob didn't reply. His mind  
was racing with flashes of what had happened before we'd arrived in the clearing. Paul  
barely paid attention to it as he twisted his body and began taking swipes at Jacob, who  
took them without even trying to dodge—you could hear every blow and every whimper  
of pain that came from him. I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on when I  
remembered the lion, whom I was sure had ran away by now. I looked over to find that I  
was wrong.

The mountain lion had heard the commotion behind it, but hadn't used the time to get  
away. It just stood there, looking like it was as confused as the rest of us. There was  
something else there too, I could see fear in its stance and I could also sense some kind of  
struggle going on inside of it… I knew somehow that it wanted to help Jacob, though I  
wasn't sure exactly _how_ I knew this. Then just as I was about to take control of the  
situation, I saw the answer to my questions just as Jacob yelled at the top of his mental  
lungs, _"Bella! Run!" _

I was struggling to my feet, but I'd dislocated my shoulder and it was slowing me down,  
as I saw the mountain lion—I still couldn't believe that it was Bella— reluctantly turned  
and, giving me one last tear-filled look, ran into the woods. In Jacob's head, I could hear  
crying, but it didn't belong to him or Paul, it belonged to the girl we'd nearly killed  
today… Bella Swan, the werecat.  


* * *

**Okay, so as usual I have to ask… how was it? I hope Sam's perspective was good. He may have seemed too out of character, but I didn't think so. I just wrote how I thought a confident-leader-type would react (aka, shocked and unsure of anything new and unknown) and he ended up the way he is. You even see him keep trying to regain control of the situation, only to be knocked for another loop. Also, I'm not really good with this kind of writing (meaning writing fighting sequences) so I'm hoping it works. There will probably be more interesting ones in the future; this is more to show off some of her newfound power and to get the idea of the extents of her physical prowess. **

**I wanted to give you readers something so you didn't think I was giving up on this story. The next chapter will possibly be the beginning / rekindling of her love life depending on the final vote tally. So get in your vote if you haven't done so yet! And again, please check out **_**Lycanthrope**_ **which will hopefully be posted between now and the next chapter, I think (hope) you'll like it.**

**Here's a short summary of **_**Lycanthrope**_** (tell me if you think it sounds interesting… and yes it deals with "real" werewolves):**  
AU-Twilight. Jasper & Bella are twins. Something happens to them on their 18th birthday that Changes them, but is it for better or for worse? They move to Forks & meet the Cullens. Will they get along & find love or will their differences tear them apart. JxA & ExB

**Here are some fun cougar/mountain lion/puma facts that relate to my story, courtesy of Wikipedia:  
1. **The cougar is on average as heavy as the leopard. Despite its size, it is not typically classified among the "big cats," as it cannot roar, lacking the specialized larynx and hyoid apparatus of _Panthera_. Like domestic cats, cougars vocalize low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs, as well as chirps and whistles. They are well known for their screams, referenced in some of its common names, although these may often be the misinterpreted calls of other animals.

**2. **Despite anecdotes to the contrary, all-black coloring (melanism---black panther) has never been documented in cougars._**(This is why I thought of making her a black one, it just adds to the irony. That and it's one of those 'I'd like to see one' kind of things)**_**.**

**3. (**_**For these ones, just supersize the numbers and you'll get the idea of Bella's stuff)**_Cougars have large paws and proportionally the largest hind legs in the cat family. This physique allows it great leaping ability. An exceptional vertical leap of 18 ft is reported for the cougar. Horizontal jumping capability from standing position is suggested anywhere from 20 to 40 ft. The cougar can run as fast as 35 to 45 mph. It is adept at climbing, which allows it to evade canine competitors. Although it is not strongly associated with water, it can swim.


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